Literacy First™ January Parent Ideas

Happy NEW YEAR! It’s January!

This month we are going to be doing some exciting activities at school, and we want you to be a part of the fun! This month’s theme is IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY, so your child will be hearing new stories about using your imagination. Your child will learn different ways of being creative, including dancing, singing, pretending, drawing, painting, building, telling stories, and more. Through a variety of classroom activities, your child will learn how to cooperate, share, give to others, manners, and other important social skills.

You can extend the learning at home with a few simple and fun activities. Check out these PARENT IDEAS for some ways you can engage with your child at home. Make it fun!

Draw: Have children draw with different tools in different ways. Offer sidewalk chalk, gel pens, crayons, markers, Crayola Window Crayons, smelly markers, a tray of salt and a fork, a stick and sand, shaving cream and a craft stick, bathtub crayons, and so on. Offer plain paper, lined paper, graph paper, colored paper, scrapbooking paper with patterns, cardboard, a box, a brick, or whatever other materials you choose. Get creative with where and how you draw!
Paint: Offer children finger paint, watercolors, tempera, or bath paints. No paint? Use jelly or mustard and paint bread or tortillas. Paint with water on the sidewalk then mix with chalk for a colorful effect.
Build: Have children experiment and build with empty boxes, Legos, blocks, plastic containers, marshmallows and toothpicks, graham crackers and peanut butter, pillows and blankets to make a fort, or whatever you can find around your house. Build outside with sticks and stones.
Craft: Experiment with different tools and materials like tape, glue, ribbon, yarn, wrapping paper, empty toilet paper rolls, boxes, cans, fabric from clothes that don’t fit anymore, left-over tiles or wallpaper, and other random things from around your home. What can you build, make, or create?
Cook, Bake, Make: Engage your child in the process. Let him measure, stir, and set the timer. Let her find the ingredients, knead, and create. Try a recipe for homemade pizza and let your children “decorate” it with ingredients. Recipe Here
Storytelling: Choose a book without words and let your child tell the story! Or, choose an animal and an action (pig, bicycle riding) and let your child make up a story.
Sing a Song: Sing familiar songs then change the lyrics. Make up songs about cooking, driving, or folding laundry. Dance to the beat of the washer, or tap on the counter to make your own beat.
Let’s Pretend: Create a box of dress-up items like masks, hats, boots, old dresses, necklaces, and so on. Add new items as you find them. What will your child be today? Use voices, sounds, and actions!
Make Up a Game: Give your child a few items, like a hula hoop, a ball and a box. What kind of new game can he/she make up? What are the rules?
Bookshelf Box: Decorate an empty box with paper, ribbon, pictures, or stickers to make a bookshelf for your favorite books about imagination and creativity!